Glazed fabric shell with quilt stitching and a wooden frame top.
- Fabric lining
- Magnetic latch closure
- Interior zipped pocket
- Optional strap has a 12" drop
- Bag measures 12" wide by 5" tall
Turqoise Clutch from Sondra Roberts
Glazed fabric shell with quilt stitching and a wooden frame top.
5 Handbag Tips
1. “It’s all about quality and craftsmanship.”
The first rule is the most important to keep in mind when shopping for a bag you’ll carry for the long haul. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to the quality. To ensure a lasting investment, seek out fine materials such as leather and crocodile only get better with age.
The first rule is the most important to keep in mind when shopping for a bag you’ll carry for the long haul. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to the quality. To ensure a lasting investment, seek out fine materials such as leather and crocodile only get better with age.
2. “Look for a classic shape.”
A handbag is a functional accessory, so you must remember to choose one that really works. “Are you a clutch woman?” If so, invest in a classic clutch. If not, go with a top handle, a shoulder bag or whichever shape suits you best. After all, the perfect bag isn’t really perfect if you find it too large, too small or too uncomfortable.
A handbag is a functional accessory, so you must remember to choose one that really works. “Are you a clutch woman?” If so, invest in a classic clutch. If not, go with a top handle, a shoulder bag or whichever shape suits you best. After all, the perfect bag isn’t really perfect if you find it too large, too small or too uncomfortable.
3. Choose “classic hardware”.
Often, the smallest details – a clasp, a chain – pose the biggest questions when it comes to this decision. Clarify the matter in one simple sentence: “Many times in fashion, you’ll find metal finishes that come and go with the trends, but classic silver always looks right, [or] certainly a classic gold detail.” In other words, think long and hard before spending a mint on bronze or copper or other passing fancies.
Often, the smallest details – a clasp, a chain – pose the biggest questions when it comes to this decision. Clarify the matter in one simple sentence: “Many times in fashion, you’ll find metal finishes that come and go with the trends, but classic silver always looks right, [or] certainly a classic gold detail.” In other words, think long and hard before spending a mint on bronze or copper or other passing fancies.
4. Color is key.
“Many times, the color of the moment is just that,” instead gravitate toward bags in shades that will stand the test of time. Favor black, chocolate, tobacco and natural leather tones, but even bone, navy and “the pop of a brilliant red” can be considered basics.
“Many times, the color of the moment is just that,” instead gravitate toward bags in shades that will stand the test of time. Favor black, chocolate, tobacco and natural leather tones, but even bone, navy and “the pop of a brilliant red” can be considered basics.
5. “Buy a handbag that you are passionate about.”
Finally, a handbag must not only check all the right boxes in order to qualify for your collection – it must also quicken your pulse. If you’re truly passionate about the bag the day that you buy it…you will love it forever.
Finally, a handbag must not only check all the right boxes in order to qualify for your collection – it must also quicken your pulse. If you’re truly passionate about the bag the day that you buy it…you will love it forever.
A Casual Summer Tote
- Woven wicker/raffia shell wit fabric lining
- Faux leather handles have an 8" drop
- Zipper closure
- Interior zipped pocket
- Bag measures 19" wid at the top by 12" tall
Bags of Style
Kate Moss is sitting on the bed, surrounded by bags: zebra-patterned purses to fortify her “wild girl” reputation; shoulder bags to match her ever-youthful, hip look; and a sturdy tote, appropriately named Gloucester, for her oh-so-English country home.
“I am not doing it for different personalities — it’s what I like,” says Ms. Moss — or Kate, as she is known. At age 36, she has taken another step in her second life, as a designer rather than as a supermodel using her pretty face and sensual lips to promote other brands.
Her new collaboration with the bag company Longchamp grew from the advertising campaigns that she has done with the French leather house for eight seasons. The range has her personal label “Kate Moss for Longchamp” and uses images of the model at her most sultry, with end-of-a-long-night poses, hair tumbled and clothes misplaced as she cradles the bags.
The real Kate is funny, witty, down to earth and with a clear vision about this next step in her career. “I know bags, and I always want a bag to be functional and comfortable to hold,” she says, flipping the practical double handles of a small shoulder purse.
“As a woman with a lot of handbags, they have got to have a bit of flair, not too ‘Lady,’ with a bit of an edge,” she adds. “And it’s really important that Longchamp is an old family company — old school. They know how to make bags.”
First came the dreams. As with the clothing range she designs for TopShop, she turned to the favorites in her closet, “like a kind of dream world — you can perfect things you had in the past.”
Another dream for the rock ’n’ roll model is being in the 1960s and ’70s, “hanging out with Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan and Rod Stewart, when the men dressed so well — Brian Eno, that look he had was major.”
There is also the romantic Kate, the one who fell in love with the bias-cut dress that John Galliano gave her for her 21st birthday.
“I would have loved to have been a flapper girl in the ’20s and ’30s, dancing around with Cocteau and Scott Fitzgerald in Paris,” she says.
The reality of being a mother of a 7-year-old daughter, Lila Grace, and of working and traveling is that the Moss collection needs more than the elegant shagreen purses inspired by the antique boxes she has collected.
Sophie Delafontaine, creative director of Longchamp and granddaughter of its founder Jean Cassegrain, explains how a visit to Kate’s London home helped them to develop the wide range of bags that is intended to be a continuing project with the company, rather than the one-season collaborations it has had with the artist Tracey Emin and the architect Thomas Heatherwick.
For Kate herself, the inspiration might be a vintage object, like the zebra Gucci travel bag that she saw in Los Angeles for $55,000 and which her partner Jamie Hince finally tracked down in San Francisco, enabling her to imagine the glam world of Elizabeth Taylor, when luggage was carried by porters and “didn’t touch the floor.”
Flaunt Your Lighter Handbags
The weight of women's handbags (checkout some of these killer handbags at Sondra Roberts) have been reduced in the last two years, courtesy new technology such as the iPhone and Blackberry. The weight of handbags has been reduced by more than 50 per cent in the last couple of years.
The study observed that the weight of an average handbag has reduced from about 3.5kg in 2006 and 2007 to 1.5kg last year.
Two years ago, women were carrying around 7.3lbs, the equivalent of three and a half bags of sugar, everywhere they went. Thanks to new technologies, women do not have to carry heavy weights with them.
However, the study found that make ups, mirror, purses, tissues, perfumes, sanitary products, brushes, toothpaste, receipts, address books and headache pills still make up the greatest percentage of weight in women's purses.
The study observed that the weight of an average handbag has reduced from about 3.5kg in 2006 and 2007 to 1.5kg last year.
Two years ago, women were carrying around 7.3lbs, the equivalent of three and a half bags of sugar, everywhere they went. Thanks to new technologies, women do not have to carry heavy weights with them.
However, the study found that make ups, mirror, purses, tissues, perfumes, sanitary products, brushes, toothpaste, receipts, address books and headache pills still make up the greatest percentage of weight in women's purses.
Making purses lighter so they won't be a pain in the neck
Shelley White is shopping for a handbag that's stylish but – literally – isn't a pain in the neck. The handbag needs to be lightweight and compact but still roomy enough for her iPhone, twin toddlers' toys, snacks, diapers, lipstick, keys, wallet, even a netbook.
“It's the issue of my back and my neck,” says Ms. White, 37, a TV producer in Toronto. “I find there's some strain. I want something that's going to feel good.”
The shift among women like Ms. White, who have suffered neck and back pain from lugging about chic, oversized handbags, are giving manufacturers and retailers hope for a comeback in sales in a sector pinched by the recession.
The purchase of a new purse was something that could easily be put off, particularly in an economic slump. But smaller and lighter gadgets, such as smartphones and netbooks, and a shift among celebrities such as Victoria Beckham to smaller bags, is giving the purse a new feel.
“Designers are definitely working toward lighter bags, with lighter materials as well as hardware,” says Eileen Lewis, fashion strategy director at Zappos.com, a giant online seller of shoes and bags in Henderson, Nev. “Designers are making bags that are compact, but that carry a lot and have lots of organization.”
New British research highlights the shift. Debenhams PLC has found that the weight of handbags has dropped 57 per cent to 1.5 kilograms over the past two years.
That's with phones, keys, wallets, etc. included.That's roughly the equivalent of two loaves of bread, compared to a peak of 3.5 kg, or the weight of more than three bags of sugar, in 2007.
Debenhams, a department store giant, found that the introduction of multipurpose devices, such as the iPhone and BlackBerry, has helped lower the weight of what's inside a handbag.
“Finally, the burden placed upon working women is falling,” says Sue Tebbitts, handbag buyer at Debenhams.
“It's the issue of my back and my neck,” says Ms. White, 37, a TV producer in Toronto. “I find there's some strain. I want something that's going to feel good.”
The shift among women like Ms. White, who have suffered neck and back pain from lugging about chic, oversized handbags, are giving manufacturers and retailers hope for a comeback in sales in a sector pinched by the recession.
The purchase of a new purse was something that could easily be put off, particularly in an economic slump. But smaller and lighter gadgets, such as smart
“Designers are definitely working toward lighter bags, with lighter materials as well as hardware,” says Eileen Lewis, fashion strategy director at Zappos.com, a giant online seller of shoes and bags in Henderson, Nev. “Designers are making bags that are compact, but that carry a lot and have lots of organization.”
New British research highlights the shift. Debenhams PLC has found that the weight of handbags has dropped 57 per cent to 1.5 kilograms over the past two years.
That's with phones, keys, wallets, etc. included.That's roughly the equivalent of two loaves of bread, compared to a peak of 3.5 kg, or the weight of more than three bags of sugar, in 2007.
Debenhams, a department store giant, found that the introduction of multipurpose devices, such as the iPhone and BlackBerry, has helped lower the weight of what's inside a handbag.
“Finally, the burden placed upon working women is falling,” says Sue Tebbitts, handbag buyer at Debenhams.
Residents Sentenced in Designer Handbag Scheme!
Eight people from McCreary County have been sentenced in a designer-handbag scheme, the United States Attorneys Office and United States Postal Inspection Service announced Tuesday.
The scheme involved stealing designer handbags and reselling them to others and online. They shipped the bags through U.S. mail to buyers in various locations, including Hawaii and California.
In 2007, Richard Lynn Williams II, 28, and Brandon Theodore Stephens, 27, broke into the Le Sportssac distribution center warehouse in McCreary County and stole at least 2,100 bags worth more than $300,000. Stephens, who had previously worked at the warehouse, and Williams were sentenced to 17 months in jail.
Stephens and Williams sold nearly 1,000 bags to other defendants, who supplied bags to others who sold them on eBay, an online auction Web site. Other defendants in the case have been sentenced for various roles.
The scheme involved stealing designer handbags and reselling them to others and online. They shipped the bags through U.S. mail to buyers in various locations, including Hawaii and California.
In 2007, Richard Lynn Williams II, 28, and Brandon Theodore Stephens, 27, broke into the Le Sportssac distribution center warehouse in McCreary County and stole at least 2,100 bags worth more than $300,000. Stephens, who had previously worked at the warehouse, and Williams were sentenced to 17 months in jail.
Stephens and Williams sold nearly 1,000 bags to other defendants, who supplied bags to others who sold them on eBay, an online auction Web site. Other defendants in the case have been sentenced for various roles.
DIY Leather Handbags
Do-it-yourself is a pretty popular concept these days, but have you heard of do-it-yourself custom leather handbags? Well, two entrepreneurs are helping ordinary women become accessory designers.
Laura Kofoid, co-founder of Laudi Vidni said, “The reason it took us three and a half years to start the business is the first two years were spent being told no, that it couldn't be done."
But the two founders of Laudi Vidni proved the naysayers wrong. After buying the idea from another entrepreneur for one dollar, they changed the name, expanded the options, and added high end leather. And Laudi Vidni was born.
Co-founder Grace Tsao said, “We did find factories in China, but we decided at the end of the day to come back to Chicago because we had great handbag manufacturers in the United States."
in fact, they make the leather bags in Chicago at a family-run factory, the store is actually online, there you can pick which bag you like, then you choose the leather, lining, and the hardware.
Customer Rose Lizarrago said, "American women like what we like and now we can get it in a handbag." So she decided to host this handbag party as a fundraiser for the Illinois Education Foundation.
Ester Viti -- a customer – said, “I picked out the shape of my bag and then I got to pick out the different materials and it was really cool because with her help I designed a really cool bag."
Customer Stephanie Thompson said, “Actually I went online when they first launched and I fell in love with a bag and I just for some reason I wanted to feel the fabric."
There are eight silhouettes and counting all the fabric and hardware choices there are literally 10,000 different options.
Tsao said, "These bags are the same quality as a $1,500-$2,000 dollar bag, so our customers are really pleasantly surprised at how well-priced they are."
"I had a woman say to me, I asked her, 'What do you think about the price?' and she said, 'It's what you have to pay to get a good quality leather bag," Kofoid said.
Storage: If Purses Are Your Weakness
Storage: If Purses Are Your Weakness
I am a purseaholic. I admit that my addiction to purses has made my closet unmanageable. I believe a purse closet would help. Walk In. -- Laurel Ennis
Those of us without a walk-in purse closet (or a purse room) still have a wide range of storage options. Let's start with the Spencer and Rutherford handbag holder, from Australia, which seems very similar to the Handy Hold All from Simply Sarah Shaw.
Another product - not as lovely - is the Jokari Purse Rack.
For a basic back-of-the-door option, there's the Hang 'N Hold from Evriholder, available from a number of vendors.
I am a purseaholic. I admit that my addiction to purses has made my closet unmanageable. I believe a purse closet would help. Walk In. -- Laurel Ennis
Those of us without a walk-in purse closet (or a purse room) still have a wide range of storage options. Let's start with the Spencer and Rutherford handbag holder, from Australia, which seems very similar to the Handy Hold All from Simply Sarah Shaw.
Another product - not as lovely - is the Jokari Purse Rack.
